Can closure



Nov; 25, 1941. H .NGRAM 2,263,969l

CAN oLo-sURE l Filed May 23, 193.9 2 sheets-sheet 1 INVENTOR 1 if@ W1 M] @mi 911W y /7/1' ATTORNEY NOV. 25, 1941. h H lNGRAM 2,263,969

GAN cLosURE Filed May 23, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTQR /Ma Aiwa Hf: ATTORNEY able to the consumer.

Patented Nov. 25, 1941 miran STATE-s PATENT OFFICE l CAN cLosuaE Harry Ingram, Wheeling, W. Va.l Application May 29, 1939, serial No. 275,141

(c1. ,zzo-44) 4 Claims.

Thisinvention relates to can closures and more particularly concerns an improved can or container closure embodying an improved formof self-closing check valve for permitting venting of air or gases from the can or container after v the closure has been applied and while preventing ingress of air or other uid to the container. Y

This application is a continuationin part of my copending application, Serial No. 146,395, iiled June 4, 1937, now Patent No. 2,193,420 for Venting closures for jars and other receptacles.

It is frequently desirable to remove air, noncondensible gas or other vapor or fluid from a can or other container after the cover or closure has been applied thereto. Thisprocedure -is particularly advantageous in the canning or the type described which is simple in design, inexpensive to manufacture and use and highly reliable in operation.. Y

In describing the inventionin detail, reference will be made to the accompanying drawings in which certain embodiments thereof have been illust-rated. Inthe drawings:

preserving of foods or other perishable products, where the avor, color, consistency and keeping qualities of the product may be enhanced by'removal of air, oxygen or other gases from the container.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved unitary closure for containers,

` such as cans, glass jars such as Mason jars and other containers, which closure incorporates a simple and highly eective mechanism for permitting outward ow of vapor and gases through the closure when the absolute pressure within the lcontainer exceeds the external absolute pressure by a predetermined amount, while preventing ingress of air or other uid when the external pressure equals or exceeds that within the container. The invention contemplates the provision of av closure checkvalve mechanism which tightly and permanently seals the container and which cannot be accidentally or intentionally opened to .permit ingress of air through the valve by any means ordinarily avail- One feature of the invention is the provision of a valvesupport which Figure 1 is a sectional view of a closure embodying the present invention connected toa can; v f

Figure 2 is a bottom plan view of the closure of Figure 1 with the valve `supporting disk removed;

Figure 3 is atop plan view of the valve supporting disk of Figure 1;

Figure 4 is a sectional view similar to Figure 1 showing a modified structure embodying the invention; and

Figure 5 is a sectional view similar to Figure 1 showing a valved closure embodying the present invention and designed for use with Mason type glass containers.

` Referring to the drawings, the embodiment of the invention illustrated in Figures 1 through 3 comprises a cap or closure for an ordinary metallic can of the type generally used for foods and beverages.- The closure comprises generally a unitary structure including two major parts;`

a cap member C and a rigid valve support S permanently -secured to the cap member as hereinafter described. v

The lcap member C is shown circular although other forms may be used if desired, and is prefcompletely overlies and protects the valve mechanism and cooperates with the remaining parts to strain out or remove particles of solid or semisolid matter from the eilluent passing out of the container through theV valve mechanism,

'whereby improper operation of the valve due to lodgment of such particles therein is prevented.

The closure of the invention preferably incorporates means forming a rigid seat surrounding the check valve opening whereby the gasket of suitable suction apparatus may be readily applied to the closure in gastight relation to permit evacuation of the can. Other objects of the invention vinclude the provision of a closure of erably stamped or otherwise formed from a single piece of sheet metal such as tin plated steel or a corrosion resistant alloy. The cap C, as

well as the other parts of the device, can, of course, be formed of various other materials such as amolded phenolic condensation product, Celluloid, etc. The outer edge of the cap member C is provided with a skirted rim 6 4oi-any suit- DOsed concentrically with respect thereto, is an 'upstanding annular bead or ridge vR. having aA substantially flat upper surface i3.v This arrangement permits the tight'connection of a suction or gas supply duct tothe cap by merely'pressing a rubber or other gasket on the end of such R, although such gasket can be applied to the upper surface of securing rim 8 ii desired. One of'the walls of the ridge R, in the illustrated' embodiment, the inner wall 9, is formed with an overhang as shown to facilitate the attachment of the valve support S to the cap member C as hereinafter described. The ridge R is of such size and shape as to materially reinforce the cap member C, and as a consequence, the entire annular portion of the cap member lying outwdly from the inner wall 9 is substantially ri d. 1 'I'he central portion of the cap member C comprises a flexible diaphragm D having an opening III therethrough, preferably at the center thereof. 'Ihe opening I0 may be formed with a downwardlyl extending lip or i'lange II thereabout for the purpose of positioning a sealing gasket I2 as hereinafter described. The diaphragm D is resilient as well as flexible and is preferably formed integrally with the remainder of the cap member C as shown.

set or sprung downwardly by suitable treatment such as slight enlargement of its area over that portion will snap upwardly a considerable distance but will forcibly snap back to its original downwardly bowed position as soon as the lifting force is reduced below a predetermined value. 'I'he reinforcing action of the ridge R is preferably suiiicient to bear all such stresses and strains as may be imposed iby the operations such as reaming or spinning that are employed to secure the closure to .the can or other container. For this reason, the above described operation of the central diaphragm D is not adversely ailected by such stresses or strains.

The valve support S is secured to the rigid portion of the cap member C. -In accordance with the present invention, his valvesupport is substantially rigid so that i cannot be forced downwardly away from the diaphragm D to cause opening of the valve.

disk S makes it strongly resistant to downward forces and soV effectively prevents the separation of-the disk Sfrom the diaphragm D by movement of the support.

According to the invention, the connection between the valve support dlisk S and the cap C is such as to provide a uid passage of limited dimansions between these parts which produces a straining action whereby the passage of solid or f semi-solid material or particles into the valve mechanism is prevented. If solid or coherent particles or masses pass to or through the valve mechanism, its closing action mightbe impaired.

Thus the lodgment of such particles between the To this end, the support S preferably comprises a disk shaped or circular S, these parts being slightly The diaphragm D is permanently I than the ldepth of ing I Il against ingressof air into the space between the the disk S. Alternatively,

2,283,969 duct onto the flat upper surface l of the ridge valve gasket I2 and the cooperating Ysurface of the disk S might hold the valve open to permit ingress of air and leakage of the container contents after the vapor removal operation. The` straining action between the cap C and-the support disk S may be formed by bending-the flange I5 inwardly to engage or nearly engage .the upper portion of the ridge wall 9. 'I'he ilange I5 may be thus bent inwardly around its entire periphery into approximate engagement with the lupper portion of the wall 9 4whereby the disk S Yis securely fastened to the cap C but a limited space is provided to permit 'the passage of vapor and gas and prevent the passage of solid material diaphragm D and the ilange I5 may be bent into iirm engagement at points spaced about the periphery of the disk spaced apart between the bent points to provide the straining passage desired.

Various forms of valve gaskets may be used. In the embodiment o f Figures 1 and 2, the valve gasket I2 comprises a perforated disk Vof suitable packing material such as rubber, the central opening I6 of which receives the downwardly extending lipgor flange I I around the diaphragm opening I0. The lip II is considerably shorter the gasket I2 and this llip accordingly holds the gasket in proper position without4 preventing compression of the gasket by the downward force exerted thereon by the diaphragm D. If desired, a gasket comprising a nat pad or imperforate disk of' rubber or other suitable composition may be ilxed at the center of the supporting disk S beneath the vopening I 0, and the lip II may be omitted. This. type of construction is shown, for example, in my Patent No. 1,576,763.

With the parts assembled as described above, the downwardly sprung or biased diaphragm D presses the gasket I2 firmly against the valve support disk S and so seals the check valve openor other fluid. Any excess of external Aover internal pressure merely increases the force with which the diaphragm D is biased inwardly, and so increases the sealing force exerted by the diaphragm on `.the gasket I2. Since the valve support disk S is substantially rigid, the check valve cannot be opened by force accidentally applied to the container top. or even by inserting an instrument through the opening I0 and pressing downwardly on vthe support S.

Due to its domed or downwardly convx structure, the support disk S cannot be depressed appreciably by such downward pressure. and any slight downward iiexure ofthe support is nulliiied by. a corresponding downward movement of the downwardly biased diaphragm D. In other words, the fact `that the maximum downward ilexure of the support disk S is considerably less than the maximum downward movement of the diaphragm D due to its downward bias precludes any possible opening of the check valve by me-` chanical force applied from outside the can.

, When the internal pressure in the container exceeds the external pressure by apredetermined amount, th'eexcess pressure lifts'the diaphragm D and so opens the-check valve, permitting vapor and -gas to escape from the container. As

cas or other fluidilows yout of thel container falls relative to the` external pressure and the throughv the opening It, the internal pressure downward bias of-the diaphragm D causes it to snap down and seal the container before equaliwith the ridge wall 9 Y ridge R'.

zation of internal .and external pressures. While the valve remains open due to excess internal pressure, the entry of air or gas into the container is prevented by this excess pressure `and the outward. flow of fluid resulting therefrom. Since the valve is closed by the spring pressure of the biased diaphragm while the internal pressure exceeds the outside pressure, the outward flow of uid continues up to the very instant that the valve closes, and no air or gas can possibly re-enter the container.

In a modied form of the device as shown in Figure 4, the rigid valve supporting disk S' is secured to the c ap member C' in a different fashion than that described above. The cap member C' is provided with a peripheral skirted can engaging portion 6' and with an annular reinforcing ridge R' spaced inwardly from the periphery. Within the ridge R is -an upstanding annular wall I1, and the downwardly sprung' resilient diaphragm D' with its central opening I0' comprises the continuation of the cap metal inwardly from the upper edge of the wall II.` The wall I1 supplementsthe reinforcing actionof the The peripheral edge of the valve supporting disk S is inserted within the connes of the-annular wall I1 with the 'valve gasket I2' disposed between the diaphragm D' and the disk S', and the lower portion of the wall I1 is then spun or otherwise bent inward beyond the edge of the disk S as shown at I8, thus securely locking the valve supporting disk S' to the cap member C'. The parts are so proportioned that a limited space is left for the passage of gas or other fluid between the edge of the disk S' and the inner surface of the wall I1. The space so provided is too small howeverto permit the passage of solid or semi-solid masses or particles into the space between the diaphragm D and the supporting disk S. The disk S is dome shaped or downwardly convex in section and because of this construction, it strongly resists flexing by downward pressure. The form of the device illustrated in Figure 4 operates in the same manner as has been described above in connection with the form shown in Figures 1` through 3.

It will be readily apparent that my improved valved closure can be applied lto containers other than cans, such as fMason and other types of glass jars. One such application has been illustrated in Figure 5. The cap C'. there illustrated has a flexible downwardly biased resilient diaphragm-D with a central orifice .10" therethrough', and a valve supporting disk S" completely covering the diaphragm land secured to the inner wall of a reinforcing ridge R" in-such fashion as to produce the solids straining action described above. These parts, as well as the valve gasket I2", cooperaten to provide a dependable check valve sealing action in the same manner-as do the corresponding parts described above in connection with the modification of Figures 1 through 3. The cap C" is provided with a screw threaded skirt I9 at its outer edge, this skirt extending axially of the cap and serving as a means for securing the cap to a receptacle 2Il-` of theMason" jar type. The receptacle 20 has f a sealing shoulder 2| against which a sealing ring or gasket 22 is positioned and is engaged and compressed by an outwardly and downwardly ex-Vl tending flange 23 on the skirt I9.

It will be evident that my improved closure may be secured to various jars and containers able peripheral container engaging means at the edge of the cap.

I claim: l

. 1. A *unitary` valved .closure for sealing cans t andlike containers comprising a 'cap member having a substantially rigid outer annular portion and an integral flexible central diaphragm'.

with `a centrally disposed opening therethrough. a substantially rigid imperforate valve vsupporting disk disposed beneath and completely covering said diaphragm, `means adjacent the outer edge of said rigid outer annular portion of said cap member for connection to a container, means for connecting the peripheral edge of said valve supporting disk to and in close engagement with said outer portion of said cap member inwardly y from said container connection means, said connection between the valve supporting disk and said cap member providing a restricted fluid passage between said disk edge and said cap member, and`a-gasket disposed between vsaid diaphragm and said valve supporting' disk in line with said diaphragm opening, said diaphragm having a resilient downward bias whereby said gasket is normally compressed between said diaphragm and said valve supporting disk.

2. A unitary valved closure for sealing cans and like containers comprising a, circular cap member having an outer annular lportion and an integral resilient central diaphragm with a centrally disposed opening therethrough, means-adjacent the outer edge of said outer annular portion of said cap member for connecting the same to a container, at least one upstanding annular reinforcing wall formed in said outer annular portion of said cap member and spaced inwardly from said container connecting means, a substantially rigid downwardly convex imperforate valve supporting disk disposed beneath andcompletely covering the lower surface of said diaphragm,rsaid disk being connected to said cap member by close engagement between the edge thereof and said upstanding reinforcing wall,

said connection' between the valve supporting disk and said cap member providing a restricted fluid passage between said disk edge and said cap member, and a gasket disposed vbetween said diaphragm and said valve supporting disk and surrounding said diaphragm opening,V said diaphragm being biased downwardly to normally compress said gasket between said diaphragm and said disk.

3. A unitary valved closure forsealing cans and like containers comprising a circular cap member having an outer annular portion and `an integral resilient central diaphragm with a centrally disposed opening therethrough, an upstanding annular reinforcing ridge in said'outer annular portion of saidv cap, said ridge havingv an outwardly' flared inner wall, a substantially rigid imperforate valve supporting disk disposed beneath and completely covering said diaphragm,

said disk having a peripheral ange thereon extending around land in close engagement with the inner wall of said'reinforcing ridge and overy .ange and said wall from-the undersurface of said disk to the space between said diskV and said cap member, and agasket disposed' between said diaother. than those illustrated by employing suit- 75 phragm and'said valve-supporting disk and surf rounding said diaphragm opening, said diaphragm being biased` downwardly tn normall'y compress 4 i @fansite-Y' said gasket between said diaphragm and said disk `4. A unitary valved closure for sealing cans and like containers comprising a circular cap having a substantially rigid .outer annular portion and an integral exibie central diaphragm with a centrally disposed opening therethrough.

means adjacent'the outer edge o1' said outer an nular portion of said cap for connecting said cap to a container, an upstanding annular reinforcing ridge in said outer`portion of said can spaced inwardly from said container connecting means and'v forming an upwardly extending wall on the inner surface of said cap. a substantiaily rigid imperforate valve supporting disk dis-l posed beneath and completely covering the lower surface of said diaphragm with its edge sui'- ciently close to said rigid wail of said cap to provide a restricted duid passage between said disk edge and said cap, aportion of said rigid wall extending laterally beneath the edge of said disk whereby said disk is secured to said cap, and agasket disposed between said .diaphragm and said valve supporting disk around said diaphragm opening, said diaphragm being biased downwardly to normally compress said gasket between said diaphragm and said disk.

HARRY INGRAM. 

